Debate contribution: School Uniforms: Affordability

Debate contribution by Mr Mark Durkan on 5 March 2024.

MLA

Mr Mark Durkan

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

5 March 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

School Uniforms: Affordability

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4252554

Read the official Assembly record

Text

The worry that comes with being a parent never ends. Yet, for over 70% of parents, school uniform costs are an added anxiety and burden. School costs do not stop there: there are meals, school trips and extracurricular activities. The cost of schooling goes up and up. I am sure that many Members have seen the escalating and shameful child poverty statistics, and the economic forecast is not good. For many parents, those hardships will deepen ahead of the next academic year. Families struggling to make ends meet have always been forced to cut costs, even when Sinn Féin held the Education Ministry for three terms. After more than a decade of austerity, a pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis and five years of no Government, there is nothing left to cut. It is shameful that, in our society, kitting children out for school is fast becoming a luxury. Costs are forcing low-income families into debt and further into poverty. The purpose of uniforms was to remove peer pressure, create a sense of belonging and equality and level the playing field. Branded items negate that aim. In making a distinction, they single out and stress children from disadvantaged backgrounds and create an unnecessary burden for parents. The option of purchasing high-street alternatives is a no-brainer and it is vital that schools get on board or are made to get on board. Schools should also offer and be supported to offer uniform recycling schemes to reduce costs and help the environment. Many of those schemes exist in the community. One that comes to my mind immediately is the Focus project, which operates in the heart of Creggan, an area of huge disadvantage. That really has provided a lifeline to many families in recent years. Capping costs is one thing, but tackling the unaffordability and the greatly diminished support will require buy-in from multiple Departments. We should increase the uniform grants, and the eligibility criteria for those grants and for free school meals must also be addressed urgently. Figures that I recently obtained from the Minister show a reduction of almost 4,000 in eligible applications for free school meals and a drop of over 3,500 in the number eligible for uniform grants for the 2023-24 financial year. That reduction is deeply concerning and is largely attributable to the universal credit managed migration, which has seen the eligibility income threshold drop from around £16,000 to under £14,000. It is ludicrous to reduce support when the need continues to grow. Without intervention, it will only get worse from here. We in the SDLP warned of the devastating impact of welfare reform, and I take no satisfaction in saying that much of what we said and warned about has, sadly, come to pass. The welfare safety net has been eroded, and thousands of people and families are now falling through it and beyond the breadline, as its impact is fully realised. This move will strip some of the poorest families of vital support, come September 2024. As Ms Brownlee said, the working poor are being pummelled. Addressing inequalities and providing sustained support will improve children's educational experience and attainment well into the future, but action is needed now, before the situation spirals completely out of control. The Minister of Education, the Minister for Communities and the Minister of Finance have six months to address the escalating situation by creating bespoke legislation or, at least, making meaningful interventions on uniforms and free school meals.

I thank the Member for that intervention. I cited figures that showed a reduction: they related to unsuccessful applications. I am fully aware that there are people out there who do not apply. Sadly, there is still a stigma around applying for assistance, no matter how desperately it is needed. I concur entirely that data sharing should be the norm rather than the exception. Action on this issue should be a priority for our Executive. I look forward to the Minister's response in that regard.

661 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 09:46 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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